Kolkata: Despite discontent within the Matua community over large-scale deletions from the electoral roll under the Special Identity Register (SIR) and the subsequent issuance of citizenship certificates under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained its foothold in the Bongaon subdivision and Nadia district of West Bengal.
Matua Community Consolidates Behind BJP
The Matua community, which had backed the saffron party since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, appeared to have consolidated behind it again, helping the BJP retain Gaighata, Bagdah, Bongaon Uttar, Bongaon Dakshin, Haringhata, and Kalyani seats. Candidates led by substantial margins in these constituencies.
The party also captured the Matua-dominated Bagdah seat with a landslide victory after losing it in the last Assembly by-election. The politically crucial Matua community is a marginalized Hindu sect, primarily comprising the Namasudra Scheduled Caste group. The Bongaon subdivision and Nadia, home to large Matua refugee settlements, include people displaced from districts like Noakhali, Barishal, Satkhira, Gopalganj, Pabna, Khulna, and Kushtia in present-day Bangladesh. For many, the SIR exclusion triggered deep anxieties over identity and belonging.
Electoral Roll Purge Sparks Fault Lines
According to sources, a sweeping purge of the electoral roll under the SIR triggered sharp political and social fault lines in Matua-dominated constituencies in North 24 Parganas and Nadia, with over 1.2 lakh names struck off. In the Nadia constituencies of Krishnanagar North, Krishnanagar South, Ranaghat North West, Ranaghat North East, and Ranaghat South, over 90% of those placed under adjudication failed to make it to the final roll. A comparable pattern was observed across all six assembly segments in Bongaon, where deletions ranged between 67% and 88%.
High-Voltage Battle in Bagdah
Bagdah emerged as the stage for a high-voltage battle featuring members of the influential Thakurbari family at Thakurnagar in Bongaon. The contest drew widespread attention across the Matua heartland as BJP candidate Soma Thakur, wife of junior Union minister and BJP's Bongaon MP Shantanu Thakur, took on Trinamool MLA Madhuparna Thakur, her sister-in-law. Soma won by 34,321 votes. "We will form the government, and all facilities and benefits for the Matua community will be ensured," she said.
BJP's Bongaon Uttar candidate Ashoke Kirtaniya won the seat for the second time by nearly 25,000 votes. Ashim Sarkar, the Haringhata BJP candidate, won by 22,217 votes. "With this win, the citizenship of every Matua has been ensured," said Shantanu Thakur, who is the BJP-led All India Matua Mahasangha Sanghadhipati.
Identity-Driven Support Prevails
Political observers suggested that identity-driven support and long-standing affiliations outweighed immediate concerns related to electoral roll revisions for the Matua electorate. Despite the disenfranchisement fears, the community's trust in the BJP's commitment to citizenship rights under the CAA appears to have solidified their support.
